


I Miss That Feeling

by judeau



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: First Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:00:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26020825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/judeau/pseuds/judeau
Summary: Fubuki visits Manjoume every day while he's incapacitated after his duel with Amon. As a friend. Because they're totally just friends.
Relationships: Manjoume Jun | Chazz Princeton/Tenjouin Fubuki | Atticus Rhodes
Comments: 9
Kudos: 17





	I Miss That Feeling

Manjoume was a force to be reckoned with. The great Manjoume Thunder: fearless, shameless, number one. Manjoume was strong enough to pull himself out of anything that stood in his way, learning to care for himself when others wouldn't.

But the boy in the clinic bed before Fubuki wasn't any of these things. He was a husk of the Manjoume that he knew, body weak and still. There was no thunder, no spark. The effect of bio-bands on duelists was heavy, but there hadn't been a kickback, not like this. It was scary.

Seeing Manjoume in this state was hard. The effects of his last duel had left the skilled duelist so weak he could barely move. Nurse Ayukawa would have to help him change, take medicine, do anything really, all the while his eyes read blank. He slept all day and was corpse-like. Fubuki felt he needed to be here for his friend during such a horrible time.

But Manjoume was more than a friend. Fubuki felt guilty, sitting beside him and staring at his face for days on end. He found himself drawn to Manjoume in a way that was different from how he was drawn to someone like Ryo or his other comrades. There was a charm about him that had wedged itself far in Fubuki's head, and that was saying something considering Fubuki was the charm master himself.

Fubuki felt like he was invading Manjoume's privacy by being here, but no one else had come to visit in the past week, so he found himself taking the chair next to his friend more often than not. He needed to be here. The great Manjoume Thunder wasn't going to get out of this alone, or well... that's what Fubuki had convinced himself.

It was on a slow day that Manjoume finally started to return to the world. After so many days of stillness, it caught Fubuki off guard when he looked up to the other staring straight at him. Fubuki looked at him, mouth agape, quickly shuffling his deck he had been analyzing back into his bag.

"Hey Manjoume... how are you feeling?"

Manjoume sighed, turning his head towards the wall. It wasn't a surprise for him to see Fubuki there with him, but it worried him nonetheless. Manjome had looked at him like he was poisonous. He supposed it was understandable; to be seen in such a weak position was probably embarrassing, even if the one overseeing him was someone close to him. However, it still put Fubuki on edge.

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked, standing from his chair. "I'm sorry, I just heard you were hurt and I was worried, I saw no one was coming to see you so I just wanted to-"

"Fubuki," Manjoume whispered, holding up his hand. He's stayed silent for a couple seconds, closing his eyes again and breathing deeply. "You can stay."

Fubuki slowly sat back down, placing his hands in his lap. He fumbled with the cuff of his shirt, avoiding eye contact. It felt pitiful. He wasn't someone to be bashful or embarrassed, not one to fold in someone's grasp. But the way Manjoume was looking at him, with his eyes drowned in exhaustion, he felt he had no choice. Manjoume knew him well enough to push him like this.

Manjoume began to prop himself up on one arm, struggling to pull himself straight. Fubuki froze, not wanting to force Manjoume to accept his help.

"Are you really gonna just sit there and watch me struggle? That's not like you, cassanova."

That made Fubuki smile. The tension and doubt in his head dissipated. He stood up and pulled Manjoume to an upright position, his hands firm on the other's torso. Manjoume had been stripped down to a white undershirt, his pale arms looking even paler against the white fabric. He never looked like he weighed much, and being this up close affirmed that. Manjoume was a slender guy, feeling like a doll in Fubuki's hold.

"Where's Judai?" Manjoume asked, leaning his head against the headboard of the bed and turning his face towards Fubuki.

_He's been sleeping all week but he looks exhausted_ , Fubuki thought, scanning the sunken details of Manjoume's face. He had a charming face, even if he looked like hell.

It took Fubuki a few moments to snap out his trance before answering the question. "Ah... it's hard to say. No one has been able to keep track of him. He's fine, though. Haven't seen him around here, anyway. Typical Judai. "

Manjoume turned his gaze away from Fubuki, staring up at the ceiling. He pulled one of his hands over his eyes and shook his head. "Has it been only you here?"

Fubuki paused, placing his finger on his chin, clearly thinking. He nodded. "Yeah, only me. I'm sure the others wanted to visit, just after the whole Society of Light thing and with the tournament and all I think it's been hard. I'm sure you understand it's not normal to deal with these things. I don't really mind being here though, I don't hold you accountable for that stuff. It's the least I can do for you, for everyone, after subjecting you all to so much trouble when the Darkness-"

"Stop talking," Manjoume grumbled, dropping his hand from his eyes to his side to stare at Fubuki. "I just don't want anyone to see me like this. It's weird."

Manjoume glanced down at Fubuki's hand, reaching his own out to intertwine their fingers. They'd done this type of thing before; it was something they both kind of played off as simple comfort, nothing more. Something fraternal. Fubuki has always been a pretty touchy guy, and he'd dated and messed around with plenty of his friends. But Manjoume wasn't someone who played a lot, so this was different, special. This was something softer, a funny concept for an egotistical guy who makes his friends call him by his stage name.

Fubuki revelled when his friend would act like this. It was easy to get caught up in the action, Manjoume going around with his dramatics. Only in their solitude did Fubuki feel he got to see him for who he really is; a person who longs for affection because of his depravity. He was still stubborn and obnoxious, sure, but when you spend your entire life in the shadows of people who seek to hurt you, that sort of thing can make a person desperate. 

"It's fine you're here, though." Manjoume shifted a little, moving closer to Fubuki. "You won't tell anyone about this, right?" He pulled Fubuki closer with their entwined hands and rested his head on the other's shoulder.

They'd danced this dance before. Fubuki pulled Manjoume into a hug, burying his face into the crook of Manjoume's neck. He could feel his pulse pressed against his skin, his thoughts turning to mush in his head. He couldn't help himself as ideas began to push themselves to the forefront of his mind, the idea of kissing Manjoume continuously swimming around. It made him feel sick, like he was taking advantage of his hurt friend thinking this way.

"You're so warm," Manjoume mumbled. He wrapped his arms around Fubuki, exhaling loudly as their bodies came closer together. He looked over the other's shoulder to assure they were alone before putting his head back down and squeezing Fubuki.

Getting a read on Manjoume was always troublesome. Fubuki knew firsthand how big a crush he'd had on Asuka, but with his breath hot against Fubuki's neck his head wasn't letting him rationalize. Watching over him the past week had been confusing him, making it hard for him to separate his thoughts from what was really happening. Did he like Manjoume like that? Was it cruel of him to feel that way for him? It wasn't making sense.

"You're acting kinda weird," Manjoume said, pulling away from their embrace. "Why aren't you making jokes? Did you get hurt too?" he questioned, pinching his brows together. Fear crept onto his face. "Is Asuka okay?"

_He's asking about Asuka. That's fair. I shouldn't be surprised._

"She's fine! She's been good. She’s being a terrible sister, you know. Not letting her big brother take care of her when the world is becoming so dangerous."

Manjoume's shoulders relaxed. "That's good to hear. At this point I feel like I never know exactly what is going on anymore at this school."

Fubuki nodded, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. "I've got a bad feeling about this tournament, and duelists getting hurt like this isn't helping my suspicions."

Manjoume smiled, his expression making Fubuki warm. "It'll be fine, I'm here now. And Judai, I guess. That guy pisses me off sometimes...But it’s good to know he’s still kicking ass out there, probably."

Fubuki laughed. "I can't believe this, underclassmen have to do everything themselves now while us big kids just sit around and wait! What I wouldn't give for Ryo to be here." He sighed. "Or well, my Ryo I mean. I don’t really know why he’s acting the way he is...He won’t talk to me at all. This kinda stuff would be easier if he was back to his old self."

“Everything just keeps changing,” Manjoume pondered, twiddling his thumbs. “I don’t know what’s real and who to trust anymore. Sometimes I still feel like I’m brainwashed, trying to hurt people against my will. The Society of Light took so much out of me that I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.” 

Fubuki stared at Manjoume intently, soaking up every worry he expressed. It wasn’t like him to be so open about his vulnerabilities like this. Sure, they’d talked before about things that worried them, troubles in class or concerns about sticking with a deck meta, but never anything like this. Fubuki didn’t know how to respond. 

It was all becoming too much. Fubuki sighed and threw his hands up, throwing his head into Manjoume’s lap, making him shout in surprise. 

“Fubuki! What are you trying to do, paralyze me?! Your head is heavy!” 

Fubuki laughed in Manjoume’s lap, lifting his head up slightly to look at him. He smiled. “When are you going to let me call you by your first name?”

Manjoume flushed. Fubuki was sure he’d turn him down like he’d done in the past, but he was trying to lighten up the mood, change the subject. Manjoume had finally started to show signs of true life and he didn’t want him to lose it to dark thoughts. 

“If you want to call me by my name _that_ badly,” Manjoume said, rolling his eyes. “You can. Just not in front of everyone else. If Judai catches wind that he can start calling me by my name, no one is going to respect Manjoume Thunder.” 

Fubuki rested his head back in Manjoume’s lap, humming in agreement. Manjoume began to card his fingers through Fubuki’s hair, twisting strands upwards before letting them fall down. 

“Your hair is pretty.” 

Fubuki snorted, quickly lifting his head to look at Manjoume with a comical expression. “Pretty? Girls like Asuka are pretty. I’m handsome, amazing, sexy-” 

Manjoume slapped his hand on Fubuki’s head. “You’re also annoying, abrasive, a loudmouth-” 

“Hey, Jun,” Fubuki interjected, sitting up again in his chair. Manjoume’s face twisted up, clearly caught off guard by being called by his first name. “Have you ever kissed someone before?”

Manjoume laughed, clearly embarrassed. “Of course I have!”

Fubuki nodded, clapping his hands together and sighing. “With who? Were you practising with your friends or something? You know, me and Ryo used to-” 

“Why does it matter who it was?” Manjoume asked angrily, balling his hands into fists in his lap. “It’s not anyone you know.”

Fubuki laughed. “Was it Judai?”

“I said it’s not important who it was!” 

Manjoume was clearly pissed, his face growing red. Fubuki slunk back in his chair, putting his hands over his eyes. Making Manjoume angry wasn’t a hard task, but he knew he was pushing his friend’s buttons. He saw how Manjoume looked at Judai, how close they could be; the question didn’t even really need to be asked, he knew how Judai was. It wasn’t like him to get jealous, to act so abrasive. It also wasn’t like him to skirt around topics like this.

_Why am I even bothering him with this?_ He thought, removing his hands to look at Manjoume again. He wasn’t mad anymore, his face now reading more concern than rage. 

“It’s not important. I know you’re just kidding. It’s just...I don’t want you to assume I’m some kid.”

“Do you really like Asuka?” Fubuki found himself asking the question without thinking, blurting it out. He couldn’t take it anymore. He had to know Manjoume’s deal before he would do something he’d regret later. 

Manjoume was silent. He nodded. “I do. She’s everything I admire. But if I’m being honest,” he paused, running a hand through his hair nervously, “Don’t tell anyone this but, I’ve really been thinking about it. I don’t know if I like girls.” 

Ah, that solidified what Fubuki was wondering. He’d seen this kind of thing before. Back when he and Ryo were young, they would talk about schoolboy crushes, mostly Fubuki’s. Ryo never talked about girls much, or when he did it was always something menial, never with any gusto. Manjoume was a bit more outspoken than Ryo ever was, but it always read as more a desire to be seen and loved, his heart longing for someone to fill the void. Asuka seemed like a good fit: smart, pretty, a girl with a bit of bite to her words. Fubuki loved her for that and understood why Manjoume would too.

“When I look at her, I think about what we could be together. How we would look to the people around us. And I do feel something for her, I’m just not sure what that is. But it’s hard to really view her, well, how do I put this…Sorry, is this weird?”

“She’s not like Judai, right?” Fubuki asked, his voice quiet. This wasn’t weird, it wasn’t bad. He really didn’t mean to take over like this, to be selfish, but he was speaking without thinking. It wasn’t right to make Manjoume talk about these things with him if he didn’t want to; but he wanted to know, _had_ to know how Manjoume felt. It was eating him alive.

Manjoume frowned. “Judai isn’t like anything in this world. Besides, this isn’t about Judai.” Manjoume began to wring his hands together, his breath quickening. “Do you like girls?” 

Fubuki supposed that was a fair question. Girls loved him; and he loved girls, he really did. But he’d known he wasn’t straight since middle school. Being friends with Ryo helped him in that avenue; it was hard not to fall for a guy like that. But that was a long time ago, and it was more of an eye-opening experience than truly falling in love. It taught him that he didn’t really care what people looked like: he could learn to love anyone.

But it wasn’t that simple. Fubuki didn’t really feel love. He supposed he could relate to Manjoume in that sense: always looking for love anywhere you could and never being satisfied. Maybe that’s why he sought comfort in other ways. But sitting in the cold, sterile nurse’s office with Manjoume being his only source of light gave him hope that he could understand it, somehow. He just needed to take a chance. 

“I like you, Jun,” Fubuki said, his smile reaching his eyes. He didn’t care what happened next. He had finally said what had been pulling at his heart for weeks. 

Manjoume sat there, staring. It was clear he didn’t know what to say: Fubuki understood why. 

_Did I really just confess my feelings like that? Like a lovestruck teenage girl? He’s going to kill me._

Manjoume swallowed the spit collecting in his mouth and coughed into his fist. “Are you messing with me?” he asked, his expression pained. 

“Am I really that bad at flirting?” Fubuki asked, leaning his elbows on the bed and perching his head on his hands. “I can’t stop thinking about you.” 

Manjoume’s face flushed pink, his mouth opening to say something before he restrained himself. It was cute. Fubuki knew he was a pro at making girls blush, but watching Manjoume get all flustered was making him giddy. It was a good look on him. 

“You make me happy,” Manjoume finally said, eyes averted. “I trust you, and I’d be lying if I didn’t think about you...sometimes. Can you trust me, too? Even after everything?” 

Fubuki grinned. “I can do more than trust you.”

“Can you quit playing around, then?” Manjoume insisted, his face still flushed. Fubuki nodded his head eagerly, sitting up. 

“Come on Manjoume, you like when I play games. Otherwise you would have hit me over the head more than once by now.” 

Manjoume groaned, slinking back into the bed. He placed his palms over his eyes, pursing his lips. “You’re going to make fun of me for this.” 

Fubuki’s smile faded. “For what?” 

Manjoume uncovered his eyes and put his hands on Fubuki’s wrists, pulling at him. “Can you lay next to me?” 

Fubuki obliged, standing up and squirming his way into the bed. He had to help Manjoume adjust, but managed to fit them both on the cot. He turned towards Manjoume, their bodies facing each other. Lying like this really reminded Fubuki how small Manjoume was; he was someone who talked a lot of big game for someone his size. 

“This is a terrible place for a honeymoon, Jun,” Fubuki jabbed, propping his head on one arm and rubbing Manjoume’s shoulder. “We should have gone to Hawaii.” 

Manjoume sighed, covering his face with his hands again. Fubuki knew he was flustering him: but he couldn’t help himself. It was too much fun. 

Fubuki held his hand on Jun’s side, inching his face closer. “Jun?” 

Manjoume snapped his eyes open, staring into Fubuki’s. “You wanna plan our wedding while you’re at it?” He asked, clearly annoyed; but it was obvious he wasn’t really mad, although maybe a touch.

“Can I kiss you?” Fubuki asks, his voice hushed. Manjoume didn't say anything, clearly shy about the whole thing. Fubuki wondered if Manjoume really had kissed anyone, or if he really was just this soft, this new. Manjoume kept his eyes closed and leaned in slightly. Fubuki took this as a yes, leaning in and pressing his lips to the other's gently. Manjoume’s lips were soft, although a little dry. Fubuki didn’t mind though; he’d been fantasizing about this for a week, and it was perfect. 

Manjoume pulled away, eyes half lidded. He licked his lips and looked away again, breath shallow. “Can you do that again?” 

Fubuki placed his hand on the back of Manjoume’s head and pulled him closer for another, this time with more force. He felt like his entire brain was ringing, echoing. The small noises coming from Manjoume were driving him mad, his lips pushing harder with each new kiss. He felt Manjoume grab at his shirt and pull at him hungrily, his grasp weak but frantic. 

It was hard to think about anything else going on with Manjoume's hands all over him. Fubuki wished they could stay like this forever, not worrying about love or what came after. Just protecting each other, holding one another while everyone else dealt with whatever dangers lie ahead. 

Fubuki began to trail kisses along Manjoume's face, stroking his cheek with his free hand as he moved his mouth onto Manjoume's neck. He kissed under his chin, inciting a breathy gasp. Fubuki opened his eyes and looked up at Manjoume, the other's eyes closed and his mouth parted. 

"Fubuki," Manjoume whispered, putting his hand on Fubuki's shoulder and pushing back weakly. "I think I hear someone coming." 

Fubuki froze, looking up at Manjoume wide-eyed. _Oh right, we're at school. We're in the nurse's office._ Planting a final kiss on Manjoume's forehead, he scrambled off the bed and started to straighten his uniform. 

Manjoume buried his face into his pillow in embarrassment, waving a hand towards him. "You'll visit me tomorrow, right?" 

"Of course," Fubuki said, grinning wide and shuffling his messenger bag to his side. "But one day I am gonna take you to Hawaii. For real." 

Manjoume huffed and turned to look at Fubuki. "Only if you promise to keep visiting me." 

Fubuki laughed, reaching down to kiss Manjoume on the head one last time. "Nothing can stop me from doing that. Not even Darkness." 

And with that, he ducked out of the nurse's, greeting Ayukawa cheerily on her way in and closed the door with a click. 

**Author's Note:**

> I am really serious about Fubuki/Manjoume it's not even funny....if you ever want to talk about their future wedding please hit me up I have Ideas
> 
> Also I guess I should drop my twitter? This is like the 3rd Yu-Gi-Oh fic I've written....If you wanna see more GX-posting I'm @jujudeau!


End file.
